The recent release of more JFK assassination files has reignited public interest in government transparency and the right to know the truth. Journalists, historians, and everyday citizens are poring over the details, dissecting what the U.S. government did—and didn’t—share with the public. To be honest, it seems like a shiny object to distract us from more sinister goings-on in DC, but as long as there’s a call for more government transparency, I’d like to shift focus to another American family still waiting for justice: the Shabazz family.
The assassination of Malcolm X remains one of the most glaring examples of how Black leaders are systematically denied transparency, truth, and accountability. Unlike JFK, whose murder has been the subject of exhaustive government inquiries and conspiracy theories for decades, Malcolm X’s assassination was actively distorted by law enforcement agencies. The FBI and NYPD had Malcolm under constant surveillance. We know that COINTELPRO, the FBI’s covert program to disrupt and destroy Black liberation movements, targeted Malcolm in life and in death. Yet the full truth about his assassination remains buried.
For years, the official story painted Malcolm’s killing as an internal dispute among Nation of Islam members. But evidence suggests a far more sinister narrative. We now know that the NYPD had undercover officers embedded in Malcolm’s inner circle. We know that two men, Muhammad Aziz and Khalil Islam, were wrongfully convicted and spent decades behind bars for a crime they didn’t commit. And we know that, even after their exoneration in 2021, the government has not fully acknowledged its role in the cover-up.
So here’s the question: If the government can declassify JFK files, why is it still withholding key documents related to Malcolm X? Why has the Shabazz family been forced to fight for the truth for nearly six decades? And why does justice for Black leaders always come with delay, obstruction, and silence?
The answers lie in America’s unwillingness to confront its history of dismantling Black resistance. Malcolm X wasn’t just an individual—he was a movement. His ideas threatened the U.S. power structure in ways that made him a prime target for surveillance, sabotage, and ultimately, elimination. The same forces that sought to neutralize him in life ensured that his murder would remain shrouded in secrecy.
In November 2024, Malcolm’s family filed a $100 million lawsuit against the FBI, NYPD, CIA, and other government entities for their role in his assassination. They aren’t just seeking financial compensation—they want answers. They want transparency. They want the same level of scrutiny and public reckoning that the JFK files receive every time new documents are unsealed.
If America truly believes in justice, then Malcolm X’s murder deserves the same level of declassification, investigation, and accountability as JFK’s. The struggle for truth is not just about one man—it’s about dismantling a system that has long thrived on secrecy and state-sanctioned violence against Black leaders.
The Shabazz family deserves to know who killed Malcolm X. The people deserve to know how deep the government’s involvement ran. The time for transparency is long overdue.